Chevrolet Impala Transmission Problems

Comments

I have a 2003 Chevy Impala, and yesterday as I was turning at a red light, my car wouldn't take off. It was like it was stuck but it slowly accelerated. As I proceeded to drive it, it finally picked up speed. But when I stopped again and proceeded to go, it done it again. I took it to a friend who is a mechanic and he says its the transmission going bad. I don't want to spend unnecessary money in getting it fixed. Any ideas on what it could be?

Well, I finally came to a decision and got rid of the Impala. I am so disappointed with GM for putting out a car with so many problems and no recourse except to not buy another GM product. My last 3 cars were Chevy's...all were fraught with problems. My new car is a Toyota.

I have a 2005 Impala as well and it just started having transmission issues. The same problems that people before me have been discribing. If this is such a common problem among Impalas then clearly there is something wrong with the design of this transmission. I have been a GM and Chevy fan my whole life. My dad has had chevy trucks his whole life. He still has his 1970 chevy pickup, and it still runs like new. My first car was a 1973 chevy 3/4 ton pickup with a big block 454. That truck never gave me any problems. I still have a 2001 chevy silverado 2500 and it has almost 200,000 miles on it and it's never given me a problem. There is NO reason why a 2005 Impapla with barely over a 100,000 miles should have a transmission failure. If it was only me this happened to, then maybe I did something wrong or just got very unlucky. But for this severe of a problem to be happening to this many people there has to be a design problem. This needs to be addressed. If GM wants to make it up to their customers then they should put out a recall on all Impalas having these transmission problems and offer to fix the transmissions for free. If they don't do something soon to win back their customers more and more will continue to leave GM for other manufacturers. And typically they're leaving and buying foreign cars. In an ecconomy like we have now we need as many people buying American as possible. All we as customers want is for GM to make reliable vehicles for us, as they have done for so many years, and if a mistake is made do whatever is necessary to fix it. As I said before I have been a GM fan my whole life and I want to see GM once again be the brand that everyone is proud to own.

Your loyalty to GM is much appreciated, and I want to thank you (and all posters) for writing and voicing your concerns. I have documented this thread in the forum for GM&#146;s consideration &#150; thank you (all!) for contributing to the discussion. If we can ever be of assistance, either helping work with a dealership towards a resolution or looking into warranty/recall information on your vehicle, we&#146;re only an email away.

I too have an Impala. It's a 2002 that I bought in 2005. First the catalitic converter clogged right after buying it...it was under warranty so no big deal. Now with less than 100,000 miles the transmission went. I experienced many of the same "symptoms" as listed above. Had the transmission replaced and now find out the radiator is cracked. Very very frustrating...don't think I'll be buying another GM!!

Bricon9799, I see that you&#146;ve had your transmission replaced &#150; how are things operating now? I&#146;m sorry to hear that your radiator has cracked, and can understand how this is frustrating.

While I cannot make any guarantees up front, we are available to assist you in working with a dealership towards resolving this concern, or to look into warranty/recall information specific to your vehicle. Please email us your name/user name, contact information, the last 8 digits of your VIN, and your involved dealership.

I too have had transmission problems with my 2000 Chevrolet Impala. I had to replace it in 2006 and here again I NEED another one with 100k+ miles. Same problems as previous complaints on here. I had a mechanic to look at it and was told my first gear is gone. I have always purchased chevrolet cars, from Corsica, Lumina and now Impala. Obviously, there is something major wrong with this car and working components. I will never purchase a GM ever........... Very sad

I also have had Transmission problems with my 2001 Impala. Whenever i go to take off it plugs along and has trouble accelerating and when i finally get up to speed if i even do, I have to stop at a light or stop sign and start over again. This is extremely frustrating. Reading through these posts it amazes me that with so many people having similar problems nothing has been done by GM to remedy the problem.

It would be very, VERY surprising if a manufacturer stepped in to resolve an issue with an 11+ year old vehicle. I don't think I've ever seen a recall or other sort of "free fix" offered on model years that far back by any manufacturer.

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My Impala LT 2007 just did the same thing as your car did today (actually about 2 hours ago). I am so upset right now I don't know what to do. My car only has 63,000 miles; my bf just took the car in for transmission fluid service last month so of course I thought was the problem. Nope. The fluid color and levels are correct. Tomorrow morning, I wil have to have AAA tow my car to Aamco. I am SO GLAD I had a chance to read your blog before I did- this is great information. I am going to ask the repair professional to identify my transmission type. If it is the same as the one you ID, I am willing to particiapte in a class action lawsuit as well. Have you started a petition?

I have a 2006 chevy impala I have been having problems with the transmission slaming into gear when you go to take off. I have had problem since I bought the car in 2006 I took it into the dealer multiple times and they never found anything ( we can't do anything unless it comes up with an error). Well 5 years later with 80,000 miles they said it was a solinoied. They replaced it and flushed the trans fluid. It still did it. Well 3 weeks later and 1000 miles of the dealer driving it. They said it was the 4th piston and shift rings that were bad. They opened the transmission up and found a bunch of stuff wrong with it. From bushings being out and cracked. I told them well thats what 5 years of slamming into gear will do to it. They called me tonight and said they would put a brand new GM transmission i it not a rebuild but a new one. They said they talked to Gm about it and said if I pay a $500 dollar deductable they would foot the rest. Now I;m not complaning but I have had problems from 20,000 miles when I bought it I feel Gm should pay for it all. Am I wrong?????

Well you're not "wrong" but you might not be "fair", because regardless of the nuisances you've had, you did get USE out of that transmission so the idea of you kicking in something for the deal, doesn't seem too out of line to me. I'd take their offer in a heartbeat myself before they change their minds.

sepple,Thank you for taking the time to post your experience. Can you please email me with your complete contact information including mailing address, VIN, current mileage, and involved dealer? I would like to look into your situation. I look forward to your response.ChristinaGM Customer Service

I have had my Impala for almost 5 years and it is just now having trouble with the take off after I had stopped. It is shifting hard and I am not sure what to do. We have changed the transmission oil and such. Please advise. I too have been a GM follower for over 45 years. I had a Lumia and never had a problem. I hope this can be fixed as there are many who seem to have the same problem as mine.

Its a problem in the valve body with solinoids that need replacing. You are experiencing a max pressure with the trans trying to keep from slipping by shifting hard. It will reset after a few minutes of being turned off but will keep happening when warmed up. It is about a $1000 fix the trans doesn't need to be completely removed from the car.

I have a 2002 Impala with over 150k miles on it. My check engine light came on again. I noticed a whining type noise starting around 45 - 50 mph and it doesn't to seem to be shifting into overdrive? from 3rd gear. It shifts alright 1st to 2nd to 3rd. What could cause this? Other problems I've had in the past year are sometimes my blinker doesn't work? and a few times it wouldn't start--I'd turn the key and there would be a click but then nothing. The accessories would all work. The last time this happened I went out a couple of hours later and it started up on the 2nd try. Any suggestions??

I have a 2007 monte carlo ss same trans same problem have taken to dealer and same thing can`t find any thing cant fix problem oh and i was charged 85.00 for diaognostic fee car has 38,000 miles i can not afford to keep taking to dealer and pay 85.00 for them to tell me they can not find anything wrong (no codes).reading all the post i would think they would know they have a problem but are unwilling to fix. the car is about to go out of warranty in a few months 5yrs 100,000 mile any sugestions

wow i have been having the exact same problem in my 08 impala SS. It started in about June 2011. I have taking my car to the Chevy Dealership 5 times for them to find and correct the problem. they have tried downloading info to the computer, taking the tranny out and cleaning it, adding a new torque converter, added a new throttle body and it is still doing the same thing...shifting hard after stopping. I got GM involved after the 3rd time I took the car to the dealership and they were working with me but now GM and the dealership are both telling me they cant do anything else because no trouble codes are coming up in the computer. I'm so pissed with it mainly because my wife drives the car about 50 miles a day one way to work. i have no ideal what to do next...i think i may be done with chevy and i hate to say that because that is all I've ever owed. It just sucks when your car is under the 100,000 mile warranty and they can't fix the dang problem...smh

hi i had the same problem, i had to have the transmission rebuild it cost me 1300.00 and now it working fine, now i have a problem with the gages i dont no how fast im going and how much gas i have lol

I to have a 2003 Impala as well. I to am experiencing the same problems. I had my transmission replaced in 2006, and again its already having the same problems as before. Hard gear changes, jumping as it switches gears, and sometimes slow to move. This seems to be an ongoing problem with the Impala. Something needs to be done to rectify this problems that we as owners of the Impala are having. All we ask for is a reliable vehicle. This "Impala" isn't getting it. I'm fed up with these ongoing problems and even more fed up to see and learn that this is happening to Impala owners all over. This is not the type of product that GM should even allow to be released from the production floor.

I was driving down the interstate when my car stopped accelerating. I pulled over, shut the car off and restarted it. The car shifts into forward and reverse but doesn't go anywhere. There were no grinding or "hard shifting" issues prior to this and the car doesn't make any "bad" sounds when I put it in forward or reverse. It's as if the gear shift goes to the proper position, but isn't actually putting the car in gear. Any ideas on just how badly I'm screwed right now? Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

my impala 2005 did the same thing had the trans rebuilt and the problem continued although not as much at first.i drove for another 8 months and it got worst as time went on. i put the car in for an oil change and they told me i needed a resingnater ahead of the muffler. replaced it and to my surprise my car ran perfect with no more back jarring movements. this cost about $150.00 but the surprising outcome was a big bonus. about 1 month now and still shifting and starting of as you expect a car to do.

I have a 2006 Impala SS that is facing a second transmission replacement. I bought the car new in April 2007 and am the only driver. I currently have 112k miles on the car and can't imagine that it is at all acceptable that I am going to be on my third transmission! The first was replaced at 72k miles and thankfully (or so I thought at the time), I had purchased an extended warranty. Now, less than 2 years later and about 40k miles on the 'new' transmission, it is showing the same signs of slippage and hesitation from a stop that were showing when I had the initial transmission replaced. I called the dealer to inquire on my warranty for the transmission work and was told that since it was replaced under the warranty that they only cover it for 12 months or 12k miles. He went on to tell me that had I paid cash for the repairs, that the warranty would have been for 36 months or 100k miles! REALLY?!?! What sense does that make? So the only thing that I can come up with is that the GM warranties, purchased directly from GM, are a complete scam! The issue that I am having with the car is apparently a known issue as I have been on other sites and someone even posted an internal GM memo that references the known issue. The car is currently at the dealer for them to 'diagnose' the problem but since it is doing the exact same thing as the last time, I am not backing down. There is no reason that a car with 112k miles on it should have already gone through two transmissions! I am a loyal GM owner with not other cars in my home since 1995 but this just may be the last one........